The district directors’ meeting was held recently with a total of three institutes attending.
Unfortunately that is what Wellington North has shrunk to – Little Ireland, Beehive, and Carry-On.
After the normal Institute Ode and Collect opening, all present answered the roll call “Why I first became a WI member.” That provided interesting and humorous responses.
Reports were given by various committee co-ordinators. Because numbers are so few, when nominations were reviewed for the coming year it was suggested that everyone was content in their present role and would continue.
Willa Wick will remain as press reporting officer; Blanche Wanless will continue as Tweedsmuir Curator; Anne Reid will stay on as scholarship co-ordinator but would like to disembark as representative to the Wellington County Historical Society.
Wick offered to replace her if she would stay for a few months for orientation. Lynda Alexander will continue with programs and workshops, while Audrey Connell will provide secretarial duties for another year. The district annual meeting will be held May 11 at the Palmerston United Church from 3 to 8pm with Carry-On as hostess. The theme is Working your Heart out for WI. The day will contain many heart healthy topics, tips, and foods.
The area convention will be on Oct. 12 from 9am to 4pm at the Palmerston community centre, with the theme Keep Your W.I. Heart Beating.
There is a challenge afoot called Walking Across Canada. Exercise is one of the better activities to keep the body (especially seniors) supple, fit, and healthy. Walking, with deep breathing, is one of the best cardiovascular measures. The challenge is for WI members to walk in the mall, around the garden – anywhere their feet will take them, and to keep track of their walking each day.
For that purpose the WI has made pedometers available for recording. Participation including daily steps will be submitted June and December to ascertain if indeed the Women’s Institutes can walk across Canada. Won’t that be an interesting tid-bit for someone reading the Tweedsmuir histories 100 years from now.
On Feb. 15, the Little Ireland and Beehive Institutes held their combined meeting. As it was near Valentine’s Day, a poem on friendship was recited. President Maxine Heise read the mission statement of Women’s Institutes which ends with “work towards personal growth and empowerment of all women.”
Amy Dunlop, chairman of publications with the Wellington County Historical Society, was a special guest. She discussed how the society is inviting submissions for Volume 24 of the annual Journal.
Dunlop also described the Wellington County Museum and Archives building and the various departments, shows, and exhibits there.
Another special guest was Janna Dodds, local Anglican Church parish nurse. As well as nursing, Dodds is also an organic gardener, seniors exercise instructor, and TeleHealth nurse who prefers to employ alternative choices in health care in addition to, or instead of, pills and drugs. She said attitude plays such an important part in daily life, and the spiritual self must be addressed as well as the physical being.
Dodds gave several examples of healthful eating tips, supplements, and self-concocted organic power drinks.
Good News for coffee drinkers – if their blood type is O, caffeine is not so bad for them after all. People might would be surprised at how healthful sauerkraut is.
Dodds’ parting advice was “If people don’t soon start looking after their own bodies, the health care system is going to be way overpowered.
